After watching U.S. presidential town halls and head-to-head debates, the bulk of Canadians would back putting some American election customs to work in our own country. But they are largely unimpressed with U.S.-election fundraising practices, according to an exclusive poll by Ipsos Reid for Postmedia News and Global Television.

The results of the poll were released the eve before Americans head to the ballot box in an election that pits Democratic U.S. President Barack Obama against Republican challenger Mitt Romney.

With their eyes turned southward, 75 per cent of the 1,017 polled Canadians said they support introducing more town-hall leader debates into Canadian elections. These types of debates – common in U.S. elections – are less structured and can include audience participation.

Canadians are saying that they want more access to real debates and to the candidates, and not just the pre-packaged options offered to them by television networks, said John Wright, the senior vice president of Ipsos Reid.

“We live in an age where we can send candidates questions or pop them out of a crowd – and the United States has had this for a long time, but in Canada debates are hotly protected by the campaign teams,” Wright said. “The time has come for a change. In a very interactive world we should have more interaction with our candidates.”

Albertans, at 80 per cent, and British Columbians, at 79 per cent, were the most supportive of adopting more town-hall leader debates.

Two-thirds of Canadians also support introducing more televised leader debates to expose national audiences to the positions of the candidates, according to the new poll. There were two televised debates in the 2011 Canadian federal election – one in English and one in French – compared to the three different televised debates between Obama and Romney this fall as well as a televised debate between the vice-presidential candidates.

“More engagement with candidates gives Canadians a better chance to understand the issues and to make more deliberative decisions,” Wright said. “Canadians want more and they expect more nowadays.”

Another 59 per cent of those polled said they support more use of referenda, or ballot questions and initiatives, but those results were split between the Western provinces, who most supported it, and Eastern Canada, where support was lower.

Canadians still prefer some of their own election practices, according to the poll.

Just 47 per cent of those polled supported the use of Political Action Committees — groups that help fundraise the money spent during U.S. elections. And only 25 per cent of Canadians liked the idea of removing campaign spending limits.

Campaign spending in Canada is limited by Elections Canada, but no limit exists south of the border.

“People here want the substance, not the hype,” Wright said.

Finally, 62 per cent of Canadians said they support online voting – an area where Canada pulls ahead of the U.S. in that it has already started rolling out online voting in some municipal elections in order to increase voter turnout.

The poll surveyed a sample 1,017 Canadians in an online panel between Oct. 30 and Nov. 2 and is accurate to within plus or minus 3.5 per cent.